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　　IS IT TIME TO GET－MP3

　　Your computer has been playing music for years, one CD at a time．Now hundreds of songs can be stored in your PC if they're in the MP3 format．

　　What is it?

　　MP3 compresses(压缩)music into small computer－friendly files．You access MP3 music several ways：Tunes can be downloaded from websites that have converted(转变)vast music libraries into MP3．Or you can prerecorded CDs into your PC and convert songs in minutes into MP3．Once MP3 music is on your PC's hard drive, you can play it through your computer's speakers, “burn” it onto blank CDs or swap(交换)MP3 files with friends using e－mail．

　　How much?

　　Software needed to play and convert MP3 music is often free．It is preinstalled(预先安装)on most new computers or can be downloaded from many websites, including MP3, com．Some MP3 sites are free．Just type at around ＄50 and can hold hundreds of songs．A blank CD on which you can record music costs about a dollar．

　　Advantages

　　MP3 turns your home PC into a jukebox(自动唱机)．Tiny MP3 players are the size of a deck of cards, making it easy to take hundreds of songs with you．

　　Disadvantages

　　You may find that music at many sites is limited．And some only allow you to listen rather than download offerings．Others let you download music that then can't be copied to MP3 players．And a growing number of new CDs make it impossible to copy songs to a computer．

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　　If you go to Brisbane, Australia, you can easily get a small book called Discover Brisbane free．Here is something about banks on page 49：

　　ANZ Banking Group

　　Cnr．Greek & Queen Sts　　　　　　　　　　　238 3228

　　Bank of New Zealand

　　410 Queen Street　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　221 0411

　　Bank of Queensland

　　229 Elizabeth Street　　　　　　　　　　　　　　229 3122

　　Commonwealth Banking Group

　　240 Queen Street　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　237 3111

　　National Australia Bank Ltd

　　225 Adelaide Street　　　　　　　　　　　　　　221 6422

　　Westpac Banking Corp

　　260 Queen Street　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　227 2666

　　Banking hours are Mon．－Thu．9∶30 am to 4 pm．Fri．9∶30 am to 5 pm．All banks close Sat．Sun．＆Public Holidays．

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　　The famous movie star Audrey Hepburn has been honored as the most beautiful woman ever．She has natural beauty, character and figure, but there is something about Hepburn's smile that is specially striking and beautiful．

　　Audrey Hepburn was born on May 4, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium．After her parents divorced(离婚), Audrey went to London with her mother where she went to a private girl school．After the liberation, Audrey went to a ballet school in London and later began life as a model．She did well as a model until the film producers came calling．Discovered by a producer, she was given a small part in a European film in 1948．Later, she went to America to try her luck there．Audrey became popular in the US with her role in Roman Holiday in 1953．This film turned out to be a success and she won an Oscar for Best Actress．The film was followed by another similarly wonderful performance in the 1957 Funny Face．In 1959, she received yet another nomination(提名)for her role in Nun's Story．Audrey reached the highest level when she played Holly Golightly in the film Breakfast at Tiffany's in 1961．For this she received another nomination．One of Audrey's most wonderful roles was in the fine production of My Fair Lady in 1964．Her co－star Rex Harrison once was asked to name his favorite leading lady．Without hesitation, he replied, “Audrey Hpburn in My Fair Lady”．At the end of the sixties, Audrey decided to stop acting while she was on top．In 1988, Audrey became a special ambassador(大使)of UNICEF(联合国儿童基金会), helping children in Latin America and Africa, a position she kept until 1993．She was named in People magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world．Her last film was Always in 1989．Audrey Hepburn died on January 20,1993, in Switzerland．

　　She had made a total of 31 high quality movies．Her style will always be remembered in the film history．

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　　We often think of future．We often wonder what the world would be like in a hundred years' time．

　　Think of space, perhaps a permanent(永久的)station on the moon will have been set up．Perhaps people will be able to visit the moon as tourists．Cheap rockets for space travel will have been developed, permitting long journeys throughout the solar system(太阳系)．When that time comes, people will be taking holidays in space and visiting other planets．Great progress will have been discovered for the most terrible of all diseases－cancer．Pollution is a problem we must solve．In a hundred years' time it will have been controlled．

　　All the world will have been developed－even Antarctica．There will be large cities in Antarctica．We already have supersonic(超音速的)flight, but in a hundred years' time we will have supersonic land travel as well．

　　We will have used up most of earth's land to build our cities, so floating cities will have been built．The Japanese already have plans for cities of this kind．And there will be cities under the sea．The first of these will have been completed．

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　　David Beckham had a dream：to be the first English player to appear in four World Cups．

　　But now it appears that dream is over after a serious injury to his Achilles tendon(跟腱)which means he could be out of action for around six months．With this year's World Cup in South Africa only three months away, sadly Beckham looks set to miss out．

　　The injury happened while Beckham was playing for AC Milan against AC Chievo in the Italian league．After attempting to kick the ball he collapsed to the ground and hobbled off the pitch before being stretchered(被担架抬走)away．

　　It is not yet known whether he has completely severed(切断)his Achilles tendon or only torn it．The player has now flown to Finland for assessment and treatment by a knee specialist．

　　England manager Fabio Capello fears the worst for Beckham's World Cup chances．

　　"We have to wait for the results of the scan but it looks like he is out of the World Cup," he said in a statement．"I spoke with him after the game on Sunday night to offer my support．

　　"David is a great professional and has worked very hard to be ready for the World Cup, so missing it will be a big blow．"

　　Beckham's former manager at American club LA Galaxy, Alexei Lalas, echoed(共鸣)Capello's words of support：

　　"It is a horrible situation for Beckham．I know how much it meant to him to be in the World Cup and how important he was to the England team．

　　David Beckham is now 34 and some are asking whether this serious injury could mean his whole career is over．

　　Whatever happens, as one of football's best-known and popular players, Beckham will have no shortage of encouragement from fans around the world．

　　Some will remember Beckham's miraculous recovery from an Achilles injury in 2006, when he was back on the pitch after only eight weeks．

　　If he could repeat the same feat, in time for the World Cup it really would be the stuff of fairytales．

　　So, perhaps all is not lost．Optimists will take heart from Alexei Lalas' words：

　　"You never want to write off(排除)David Beckham as he has shown us his ability to bounce back(恢复原状)．"

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　　Every object tells a story．Even the most ordinary objects can present to us powerful images．Sometimes it is the ordinary nature of these objects that actually makes them so extraordinary．Such is the case with an old leather shoe in a museum in Alaska．At first glance it does not look like much．It is a woman's shoe of a style popular in the 1890s．But what is unique(独特的)about this shoe is where it was found．It was discovered on the Checkout Pass, the famous trail used by the people seeking gold in Alaska．Who it belonged to or why it was left there is not known．Was it perhaps dropped by accident as the woman climbed up the 1500 stairs carved outface?Or did she throw away goods that she didn't need in order to travel lighter?

　　Over 100, 000 people with “gold fever” made this trip hoping to become millionaires．Few of them understood that on their way they would have to cross a harsh wildness．Unprepared for such a dangerous journey, many died of starvation and exposure to the cold weather．

　　The Canadian government finally started requiring the gold seekers to bring one ton of supplies with them．This was thought to be enough for a person to survive for one year．They would carry their supplies in backpacks(背包)each weighing up to fifty pounds; it usually took at least 40 trips to get everything to the top and over the pass．Whoever dropped the shoe must have been a brave and determined woman．Perhaps she was successful and made it to Alaska．Perhaps she had to turn back in defeat．No one will ever know for sure, but what we do know is that she took part in one of the greatest adventures in the 19th century．

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　　For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub．Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news．

　　As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved．Many of them have become historic sites．The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called “The Old Trip to Jerusalem”, which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England．

　　However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society．On a cold night, the pub's landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire．There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drink available at an affordable price．

　　That's how things used to be．Things are beginning to change．It is said that the credit crunch(信贷紧缩)is causing 39 British pubs a week to go out of business．People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer．Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs．

　　This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 1l pm．Previously, with 1l pm as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly．The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as “binge drinking”, and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities．

　　In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market．British pubs now offer something for everyone．A lot of pubs used to be “Working Men's Clubs”, meaning that women could not usually enter．Today, however, women can freely enter 99％of pubs without experiencing any problems．Perhaps things are changing for the better after all．

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　　What should you think about when trying to find your career?You are probably better at some school subjects than others．These may show strengths that you can use in your work．A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in an engineering career．A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work．So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school．On the other hand, you may not have any especially strong subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard．Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value．A knowledge of history is not required for most jobs but if history is one of your good subjects you will have learned to remember facts and details．This is an ability that can be useful in many jobs．

　　Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work．You may be good at metalwork or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills．If you have had a part-time job on Saturdays or in the summer, think what you gained from it．If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers．You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example．Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job．

　　Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself．You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures．It is better to face any weakness than to pretend they do not exist．Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background．You should not be apologetic(认错的)about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work．

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　　Dr．Glenn Tisman, a cancer specialist, knew his young neighbor, Ray Bateman, had an unusual mind．But he had no idea at the time that 12-year-old Ray had the ability to become his partner in cancer research．

　　Ray's parents remembered that at age four, Ray surprised them by fixing a broken vacuum cleaner(吸尘器)．When he was ten, he speedily constructed the family color television from a kit．Later, he succeeded in assembling(组装)a complex stereo system after two experts had failed to do the job．

　　When Ray was ten, he convinced his parents to buy him a computer．In a short time, Ray was able to do amazing things with the computer．Ray shared his enthusiasm for computers with Dr．Tisman, who used a computer for his research．The two discussed computers and medicine frequently．Amazingly, Ray understood the biology and chemistry related to Dr．Tisman's medical research without any previous instruction．

　　Ray then worked with Dr．Tisman after school．He helped conduct research with the equipment and kept it in working order．The purpose of the research was to test the effectiveness of mixing an old cancer drug with certain vitamins．Ray analyzed patient test results by computer, while Dr．Tisman handled all patient contact．Together, they came up with solid research that helped advance cancer treatment．

　　In 1988, 14 - year - old Ray went with Dr．Tisman to a meeting of the American Federation for Clinical Research(AFCR), where Ray presented their initial research findings．Using terminology(术语)beyond the grasp of most kids his age, Ray told the scientists how the new drug mixture caused fewer and milder side effects for cancer patients．

　　A year later, Ray returned to the meeting to update the findings of his and Dr．Tisman's research．By then, he had become well - known for his devotion to finding cures for sick patients．Stories about him appeared in hundred of newspapers around the world．He appeared on television newscasts and talk shows．

　　Ray continued to spend most free hours working with Dr．Tisman．The two began studying the effects of vitamins on babies inside the womb(子宫)．However, Ray's main interest remained cancer treatment, and he continues his research today．

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　　Pierre is a 25-year-old penguin at the California Academy of Sciences．Due to his old age, he was going bald, which made him feel too cold to swim in the pool．Therefore, biologists at the academy had a wetsuit created for this penguin to help him get back in the swimming pool．

　　Unlike marine mammals, which have a layer of fat to keep them warm, penguins depend on their waterproof feathers．Without them, Pierre was unwilling to jump into the swimming pool and ended up trembling on the side of the pool while his 19 peers played in the water．

　　"He was cold; he would shake," said Pam Schaller, a senior biologist．Schaller first tried a heat lamp to keep Pierre warm．Then she got another idea：if wetsuits keep humans warm in the cold Pacific, why not make one for Pierre?

　　Schaller designed the suit, which covered Pierre's body and had small openings for his flippers．

　　“I would walk behind him and look at where there were any gaps, and cut and refit and cut and refit until it looked like it was extremely suitable,” she said．

　　One concern was that the other penguins would reject Pierre in his new suit, but in fact, they accepted his new look．He swam freely and got along with others well, although he was the only penguin with a black stomach．

　　Schaller couldn't say for sure whether the wetsuit allowed Pierre to recover his fine feathers, but “certainly we were able to keep him comfortable during a period of time that would have been very difficult for him to stay comfortable”．

　　Pierre will take off his suit after his new feathers grow back．